


Is This Love?

by Superwholock001



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 04:17:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20370565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superwholock001/pseuds/Superwholock001
Summary: What if Tony found The Winter Soldier before Steve did?





	Is This Love?

**Author's Note:**

> More tags/characters/etc. will be added as I continue to write. As always, characters and ideas belong to Marvel/Disney whoever owns them these days. This has also not been edited, so mistakes may occur. I try to proofread as best as I can.

The Asset had his commands. Kill Tony Stark. He was currently doing surveillance outside Avengers Tower, biding his time. He knew Stark was the only one in the penthouse. 

All the other Avengers had left to go their own ways after the Battle of New York. Tony had been left alone to deal with the cleanup and the fall out of destroying Manhattan. Tony was used to being alone though. Pepper had even broken up with him, stating that it was just too much on her, him always risking his life and putting himself in danger.

The Asset couldn’t get a good view on Stark through the tinted windows of the Tower, of which he was almost certain were bulletproof as well. He would have to make his way inside when the time was right. 

It was around 2 a.m. when the Asset decided to make his move inside. The target should be asleep by now. The Asset can sneak inside and take out the target in his sleep.

The Asset however had not been able to study the habits of one Tony Stark. Anyone who knows the genius knows that the genius is rarely in bed before the early light of dawn is creeping its way over the horizon. When the Asset snuck his way into Avengers Tower, he was surprised to be greeted by a bodiless voice. 

“Welcome to Avengers Tower, Winter Soldier,” JARVIS announced.

The Asset froze. He looked around trying to find the source of the voice. 

“We were waiting for you,” JARVIS said. “Sir is in his lab. If you enter the elevators behind you, I can lead you directly there.”

The Asset has never been confused before, but this had never happened to him before. He’d never had a target that led him straight to them before. 

He was deposited in a lab, but it was unlike the ones he was familiar with at Hydra bases. This lab was cluttered and noisy and it felt like a million things were happening all at once. His senses were overwhelmed, so much so that he missed the billionaire stepping away from his workstation. 

“So, you’re here to kill me?” Tony Stark asked, making his presence known. 

“Kill Tony Stark. That is my mission,” the Asset replied. 

“Go ahead, Snowflake,” Tony spread his arms wide. 

The Asset pulled a gun from somewhere on his person. He removed the safety and aimed the gun at Stark’s end in one easy movement. Tony made no movement to stop him. The Asset was once again confused, but he had his orders. He would complete the mission. The Asset leveled his finger on the trigger and was about to pull it, when an electric shock went through his body. The Asset dropped the gun and collapsed on the floor, convulsing.

“JARVIS, you interfering mother fucker,” Tony raged. 

“Sorry, sir, I am programmed to stop any attacks against your person,” JARVIS told him. 

“I didn’t mean if I was allowing them,” Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re too smart for your own good, JARVIS.”

“You made me, Sir,” JARVIS sassed his creator. 

“What am I supposed to do with an unconscious super solider assassin,” Tony snarked. Tony knew he wasn’t supposed to know who the Winter Soldier was. But, SHIELD, as usual, was not adept enough to keep Tony Stark out of their servers. JARVIS could sneak in and out without Fury or his lackeys ever knowing. He found the file on the Winter Solider, aka James Buchanan Barnes, aka Bucky, Captain America’s long dead best friend. Apparently, not as dead as everyone thought. Tony Stark was certain Steve had no idea that “Bucky” was still alive, or he’d be searching the globe for him. Not off on some journey to find himself. All the super serum and cryostasis Barnes had been subjected to at the hands of Hydra made him look not much older than the age he was when he “died”, probably his late 20’s, making Tony 20 years his senior, at least physically. 

“I suggest putting him in the room built for Mr. Banner when he goes green,” JARVIS gives his opinion. 

“Any thoughts on how I get him there?” Tony groused. “He’s like a 180-pound super soldier.”

“Sir, the suit,” Tony was sure, in that moment, if JARVIS had eyes, he would have rolled them. 

Right. That was obvious. Use the suit. To move his parent’s murderer to a room built for the Hulk. Did he forget to mention that? He found the lovely video file on SHIELD servers. In his mind, he knew the man behind the Winter Soldier was not responsible for his parent’s deaths. It was Hydra. But that didn’t mean when he first saw the video, he hadn’t wanted to enact revenge on the Winter Soldier. In fact, he’d had JARVIS run a search for him all over the world until they’d found him outside the Tower, waiting. Tony bided his time, but in the time that he had been waiting, he’d done more research. And he’d decided, maybe he’d let the Winter Soldier complete his mission. Of course, JARVIS threw a wrench in that plan. 

Now Tony had an unconscious super soldier assassin on his hands. The suit assembled around him and he hauled the unconscious man down to the impenetrable room designed for Bruce on his green days. Tony locked him in and then just stood outside, looking in at him for a moment. 

What the hell was he supposed to do now? 

Tony retreated back to his lab, trusting JARVIS to let him know when the Soldier had awakened. In the meantime, Tony needed to figure out his next course of action. 

Tony wasn’t prepared to babysit a highly trained assassin. Not that he had anything but time on his hands these days. With Pepper acting as CEO of Stark Industries, Tony had time to concentrate on R&D. He’d been inventing like crazy lately releasing the newest Stark Phones, Stark Pads, and even a prototype for Smart Glasses. Tony decided he had earned some time to work on some personal inventions, like upgrading the Iron Man suit and even just a few pet projects if he wanted. 

And everyone had left Tony after the Battle of New York, so he didn’t have anyone to ask him what he was doing. Tony had given Happy to Pepper, Tony able to be his own bodyguard and driver now with the Iron Man suit. Pepper needed the bodyguard these days as CEO. 

Steve had decided to leave Tony behind and go soul searching across the continental U.S. Tony had thought something had been growing between them, but apparently it had only been one-sided. The Spy Twins had gone back to Fury and SHIELD. And Bruce, Bruce had disappeared in the middle of the night. Tony could track him down, if he wanted, but why bother when it was clear he didn’t want to be found. Tony had thought he and Bruce had hit it off. Could have been Science Bros, if he had stuck around. Thor had obviously escorted his brother, Loki, back to Asgard to receive punishment for the whole Doomsday, attack on New York, debacle. Rhodey was back on active duty in Afghanistan. So, Tony had been left all alone, at Avengers Tower. In fact, he was debating on renaming it back to Stark Tower. Really, he just had to put up the four letters that had just happened to fall down leaving behind only the A. Tony would be willing to bet all his billions that Fury had orchestrated that somehow.

Even if they were calling it ‘Avengers’ Tower, the paperwork, the deed, all the legalities, still determined it to be Stark Tower, solely belonging to one Tony Stark. He didn’t have to invite any of the Avengers to stay if he didn’t want to, regardless of what Fury dictated. He had wanted to, of course, but they all turned him down, for one reason or another. 

Tony decided he needed to take his mind off this and went to work on some schematics for an amped up repulsor for the Iron Man suit. 

Tony had no idea how much time had passed when JARVIS gave him the heads up that the Soldier was awake. He could see that it was dark outside again. There’s no way it could have been still dark, because dawn was already starting to break by the time he’d quit his musing and started working on the Iron Man suit. 

“Sir, I hate to interrupt your self-induced torture, but Mr. Barnes is awake in the Hulk Containment Chamber,” JARVIS paused AC/DC’s Back in Black to be heard.

“Is he attempting to escape?” Tony asked without looking up from the piece of metal he was soldering. 

“No, sir, he is just lying on the floor. He has not even attempted to move. He seems to be Mr. Barnes, and not the Winter Soldier currently. 

“Huh,” Tony stopped what he was doing. That was interesting. Tony thought he was going to have to find the Winter Soldier handbook to figure out how to decommission the Winter Soldier. But, if a simple shock to the system could do the job, this might be much easier than he had previously thought. Maybe there was a way Tony could get the Winter Soldier to be decommissioned forever. 

Ideas were already whirring in his head, but JARVIS interrupted again, “Sir, might I suggest you letting Mr. Barnes know where he is, and that he is not still trapped in the hands of Hydra.”

“Right, of course,” Tony nodded. He headed to the elevators trusting JARVIS to take him to where he needed to go. The labs were on the basement level, just below the garage, in the event of an explosion, it wouldn’t demolish a floor of the tower, possibly demolishing the entire tower in one failed experiment. The hulk containment chamber was on the 24th floor. But with his technology, it only took about five seconds to reach where he wanted to go. He had his own private elevators so he didn’t have to deal with the elevators and people that were here for Stark Industries business throughout the day. Fury could pretend this tower was for Avengers business all he wanted, but Tony was still running SI out of it. Fury didn’t actually own anything. He didn’t have the kind of money it would take to buy anything from a Stark. 

Tony exited on the floor of the hulk containment chamber, which really was more of a hulk containment floor. The whole floor was a giant box, with glass windows, made of bullet-proof, hulk strength glass. Tony was positive Godzilla himself wouldn’t be able to break out of this place. 

The Winter Soldier, er, James Buchanan Barnes, was lying motionless on the floor of the room. Tony used his fingerprint to open the door to the chamber and entered. He was cautious, but as a man who had no self-preservation, he wasn’t that concerned.

“Barnes,” Tony announced himself, trying to get the Soldiers attention, though he knew if he was anything like the good Captain, Barnes had heard him coming since he got off the elevator. However, Barnes didn’t move an inch. He just laid there. Tony wasn’t sure he was even awake though JARVIS had claimed he was. 

Tony inched closer to him and poked the sleeping bear with his toe. Barnes again did not move. Tony had no choice but to lean over the assassin and see if he was even awake. Tony almost startled when he saw to bright blue eyes shining back at him. Not even blinking, Barnes just laid there and stared straight ahead at Tony. Tony wasn’t even sure if Barnes was seeing him. 

“JARVIS, any clue what’s happening here?” Tony asked his eye in the sky.

“Mr. Barnes’ heart rate is elevated, but his blood pressure has dropped. I believe he may be trapped inside his own mind, sir,” JARVIS guessed.

Tony knew that feeling all too well. When he had dreams about Afghanistan, or more recently the wormhole, he would get much like this. Unable to snap himself out of it, he would become comatose if JARVIS didn’t frequently intervene. Tony decided it was his turn to step up and intervene for Barnes, his parent’s murderer, his attempted murderer. Why was he helping this guy again?

“Barnes,” Tony shouted in his ear, attempting to startle him out of whatever hell he was trapped in. “You’re in my home. My name is Tony Stark…”

“Tony Stark. You were my mission. I was supposed to kill you,” Barnes interrupted Tony. His statement was just that, a statement. Delivered brusquely and without emotion. 

“Yeah, about that. You failed,” Tony snarked. 

“I am the Asset. The Asset does not fail,” he intoned. 

“You’re not the… Asset currently,” Tony shook his head. “You’re James Buchanan Barnes, commonly known as Bucky, best friend to Captain America.”

“James… Buchanan… Barnes,” it was like he was testing the name on his tongue. As if he had heard it before but wasn’t sure where. “I am the Winter Soldier,” he said more firmly.

“Him, too,” Tony agreed. “But right now, I think he’s locked away.”

“He is there,” Barnes disagreed. “I can hear him. It is like that little voice in the back of your head, that normally tells you what not to do, except he just wants me to kill you.”

“Well, isn’t that lovely,” Tony smirked. “He’s not the first, I’m sure he won’t be the last.”

Barnes sat up so suddenly, Tony had to fling himself backwards so as not to be head butted by the super soldier. 

“Where am I?” Barnes asked. “When the Asset takes over, I fade to the background. I’m not really there like he always seems to be even when I’m in charge.”

“Manhattan, New York, USA. More specifically you’re in Stark Tower, where I currently reside, inside a containment chamber made for the Hulk,” Tony informed him.

“Good. Good. I should stay here until you find a way to kill me. Or use me, whichever you prefer. Most handlers choose to use me to kill others,” Barnes nodded. “The Asset is ready to make his appearance whenever you choose.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be releasing the Winter Soldier anytime soon. Not if he wants to kill me,” Tony laughed without humor. 

“You are our handler now,” James shook his head. “He cannot kill you. He wants to, but he cannot.”

“I’m not your handler. You’re not a possession, Barnes. You’re a human being,” Tony argued. 

“Human…,” Barnes trailed off. I’m not sure I even know what that word means anymore.”

“Well, let’s start off with getting you set up in a room in the Tower. Then you can shower, eat, and get some rest. You look like hell.” And that was the truth. Barnes hair fell down to his shoulders in greasy, lanky tendrils. His eyes were sunken into his face, outlined by circles darker than even Tony’s. Tony couldn’t even guess when the last time Barnes might have slept was. So, he asked.

“I was awoken from cryostasis two night ago, to complete the mission of killing you,” Barnes answered. “I have failed.”

“Cryostasis is not sleeping. Not really,” Tony disagreed. “You have not slept since you woke up?”

“I am not allowed to sleep. I follow through with my missions, and then back into cryostasis until I am needed again,” Barnes told him.

“Oh, hell,” Tony scrubbed a hand down his face. This was going to be a lot harder work than he imagined. “Okay, Snowflake, follow me.”

“That is the second time you’ve called me that. Why?” Barnes asked.

And for the first time, in what felt like forever, Tony was speechless. He had no answer to that question.

Tony took Barnes up to the Penthouse. He just wasn’t comfortable putting him on his own floor. Tony didn’t trust the Winter Soldier as far as he could throw him. But he also felt bad for the man that was James Buchanan Barnes and wanted to keep an eye on him. If he was in close quarters, Tony could keep an eye on him. Plus, he always had a suit on call. It could be wrapped around him in less than 30 seconds if need be, though he was certain the Winter Soldier could probably kill him in 5. Maybe he’d need to work on that. 

He settled Barnes into a room, gestured to the shower, and handed him some of his own clothes. He chose an old worn out, stretched out MIT tee shirt and pair of matching MIT sweatpants. “They’re probably going to be too small, but I wasn’t expecting to have you over as a houseguest.”

“They will be sufficient,” Barnes took them from Tony’s outstretched hands. “Normally I am provided only with tactical gear.” Barnes looked confused, but grateful. Whether he was grateful for a change of clothes in general, or for the fact he was expected to be mission ready 24/7, Tony wasn’t sure.

“Do you want food or sleep first?” Tony asked the soldier.

“Sleep,” Barnes didn’t even hesitate. He looked at the bed Tony had provided him in longing.

“Shower first,” Tony requested. “You don’t want to go crawling into that nice clean bed, as disgusting as you are.”

Barnes nodded, “Yes, sir.”

“Woah. Not your sir,” Tony shook his head. “Nope. No. That just sounded… please don’t ever call me that again. Just Tony. Or Stark. I don’t care. But never sir. Got it?” 

Barnes looked confused but just nodded.

“Okay. Good. Great. I’ll leave you to your shower. If you need anything ask JARVIS. He can help you, or call for me if he can’t.”

“Who is Jarvis?” Barnes asked confused. “Is he to be my new handler?”

“JARVIS. Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. He’s my AI,” Tony explained. “JARVIS, introduce yourself, buddy.”

“Hello, Mr. Barnes,” JARVIS greeted. “I am JARVIS. I can help you with anything you may need in the Tower. Please feel free to ask me anything you wish. If I cannot help you, I will ask sir to help.”

Barnes flinched, looking around for the disembodied voice. “I remember him. He greeted me when I came into the tower, as the Asset.”

“Yes,” Tony agreed. “He’s a genius.”

“You flatter me, sir.”

“You can’t see him,” Tony tried to stop Barnes frantically looking around the room. “He’s in the mainframe of the tower. He’s…”

“Not real,” Barnes finished Tony’s sentence.

Tony looked flabbergasted and hurt, “Not real?! He’s as real as you or I. He just doesn’t have a physical body. You can still see him if you come down to the lab sometime. He’s a system. He’s just not a human. You should see him work. He can think, he’s a fully functioning, self-learning AI.” Tony speaks to JARVIS, “Don’t listen to a word he says, baby. You’re as real as me.”

“I love you, too, sir,” JARVIS responded.

Barnes looked confused more than anything, but took it in stride. He seemed more acclimated to the future than Rogers did and he’s been in and out of cryostasis and been brainwashed for 70 years. 

“Seriously, Barnes, get a shower. You reek,” Tony broke the awkward tension. “Let JARVIS know if you need anything. I’ll probably be in the lab. Maybe I’ll even get some rest myself.” Tony knew that was a lie. He definitely would not be getting any sleep with an assassin who had been hell bent on killing him just hours earlier, right next door. Even if he had been planning on letting said assassin kill him without putting up a fight. If JARVIS hadn’t intervened Tony wouldn’t be standing here conversing with the one that they call the Winter Soldier. Tony wasn’t sure if he was grateful or not.

Without bothering to see if Barnes took his advice to shower or not, Tony turned on his heel and made his way out to the penthouse kitchen, in search of coffee. None was made, which didn’t surprise Tony. He was the only one here and he hadn’t been up to the penthouse in days. He’d been in his lab, dozing on the couch in the lab, if he felt the need to let sleep overcome him. Tony started the coffee maker and pulled out a Stark Tablet to pull up schematics for the latest Iron Man suit. He wanted to see if he could make it assemble faster. 

As usual, Tony got lost in his work, only being aroused by the sound of the coffee maker beeping that it was ready. He poured himself a cup of coffee, never putting down the Stark Pad, and headed to sit in the living room of the penthouse. He sipped on his coffee as he designed a new suit using nanotechnology on his Stark Pad. 

It would be the first of its kind. Much like the rest of the Stark tech. Of course, there were smart phones and tablets already on the market, but none as advanced as SI’s. Of course, Tony himself designed everything that Stark Industries produced. He just let others manufacture the products. Unless it was something specially designed. Like the toys and gadgets that he used to design for the Avengers, or anything designed for the Iron Man suits. 

With the nanotechnology, Tony could have the suit wrapped around him in less than 30 seconds, if he really tried, he might be able to get it down to 15 or even 10. Tony really wanted to retreat to his lab, and work on this right away, but he knew he’d get lost in this project. And with the Winter Soldier asleep in his penthouse, that thought made him queasy. He knew JARVIS would let him know if Barnes left his room, or if he thought that Tony was in any danger, but it still made him ill just thinking about his parent’s murderer, walking through his home. He couldn’t believe he let him stay. But he knew it wasn’t Barnes fault, and he knew if there was a way that he could help him, he would do it. Hmm… that was another project he could work on. How can he separate the Winter Soldier from Barnes? How can he permanently decommission the Winter Soldier without killing Barnes? 

He knew the Winter Soldier was activated by a string of Russian trigger words. He’d seen as much in the video files and notes that SHIELD had on their server about the Winter Soldier. He had that whole file memorized. He could probably awaken the Winter Soldier if he wanted. Not that he would, because he doesn’t trust Barnes when he says the Winter Soldier couldn’t kill him just because he thought Tony was his new handler. He was pretty sure that probably wouldn’t stop someone who had orders to kill him, and he wasn’t about to test the theory. But if Tony could somehow deprogram the words from Barnes’ mind, he could probably make them useless. Just another string of words that would mean as much to Barnes as they did to anyone else on this planet.

Tony Stark’s first thought was reconditioning. If one watched their traumatic memories often enough, they would start to lose their meaning, becoming less traumatic. So, if one could do that and help with PTSD, one could probably use it on words to hijack the brain. If you heard them over and over and over again, they would lose their meaning, therefore losing any effect they once had on the brain. Tony closed out his schematics for his Nano-Tech Iron Man Suit and opened a new plan for the memory device. He had yet to think of a clever name for it, but rest assured that would come with time. First, how did he make it possible. 

Tony was lost in his thoughts and ideas, at some point, he had wandered to his lab, with JARVIS’s help, without even realizing what he was doing. He was elbow deep in schematics and planning and equations, when his music cut off, startling him out of his trance. 

“JARVIS, buddy, I was on a roll!” Tony exclaimed. “How dare you interrupt my brainstorming?!”

“Sorry, sir, but I thought you might wish to know, Mr. Barnes has awoken from his slumber and is awaiting further instructions,” JARVIS explained.

“Further… instructions?” Tony questioned. “When is it going to get through his thick skull that I am not his handler. Tell him he can make himself something to eat in the kitchen, J. Lead him there if he needs it.”

“Of course, sir.”

Tony’s music starts back up again and he goes back to looking at the schematics he’s already drawn up for his memory reconfiguration device. He’s still working on a name for it. He’s just getting back into the groove when the music cuts off again. 

“Seriously, J, you’re killing me,” Tony groaned. 

“Sir, Mr. Barnes is asking if you have anything to make protein shakes or if we have a stash of MREs. He seems confused about how to make anything real to eat,” JARVIS interrupts. 

“So, instruct him,” Tony gestures vaguely, as if JARVIS was a person that Tony could wave away. 

“Sir, I believe too much stimulation may cause the Winter Soldier to have another panic attack.”

“Another one? When did he have one before?” Tony asked.

“Earlier, sir, when attempting to sleep. I did try to contact you, but you were too far gone in your work to acknowledge me,” JARVIS sounded put upon.

“Sorry, J, you know how I get. I can’t believe I let myself get so into my work when the Winter Soldier is just a few floors above me though. Was the panic attack bad?” Tony asked JARVIS.

“No worse than yours, sir. I think I did an acceptable job of talking him out of it, much like I do for you. He slept for a mere 28 minutes and 34 seconds,” JARVIS informed him. 

“How long have I been in the lab?” Tony asked.

“4 hours and 55 minutes and 46 seconds and counting,” JARVIS was very literal.

“Shit,” Tony groused. “Okay, warn Snowflake I’m coming up. And see if that Chinese place is open. Order us up some lunch, just get like one of everything on the menu.”

“Sir, it is not lunch time. In fact, it is nearing breakfast time. The all-night Chinese place is open however.”

“Great. Chinese for breakfast it is,” Tony agreed stepping into the elevator. “Chop, chop JARVIS. Can’t keep the super soldier hungry.”

Tony found Barnes standing in the kitchen, looking confused at all the machinery and options surrounding him. He looked at a loss for what to do next.

“I ordered us some Chinese food,” Tony stated as he entered the kitchen. He was sure Barnes had already known he was there, but he didn’t want to spook the guy. He looked more like a confused puppy than a super scary assassin ninja in Tony’s old clothes and that look on his face.

Barnes didn’t respond, just turned to Tony, his eyes asking what he was supposed to do now. 

“Well, this is awkward,” Tony stated as they ate Chinese out of the take-out containers, sitting across from each other at the breakfast bar.

Barnes snorted.


End file.
